Joshua Tree Anniversary Session | Paul & Monica

Paul & Monica reached out to me to book a ten year anniversary adventurous session in Joshua Tree while they were vacationing there from Canada and I was so excited to work with them before I even knew anything about them. We met up in Joshua Tree (where it was insanely windy and COLD you guys, seriously SO COLD) and as we got started I casually asked them how they met - and was definitely not expecting their answer. Hands down the best "how we met story" I've heard yet... it's so good I wanted to let Monica tell you in her own words!

"When I finished university I knew that going directly into my career wasn't the right fit, so I planned an 18 month adventure in Asia. Country hopping, climbing Everest, and then teaching English in Taiwan in 12 months was my plan. I grew up in a tiny town of 600 people in Saskatchewan, Canada and wanted to start seeing the world. It was my first time overseas and I planned to do it alone. Paul was the opposite. He grew up in London, England - a city of 18 million people and was an avid traveler and always planning his next trip. He planned a trip to Asia with 6 friends.

On my 7th day in Thailand I sat on the side of Khao San Road waiting to board a bus. I saw this group of friends laughing and joking and for a moment I thought how amazing is that to have a group of friends to adventure with. Moments later I boarded a 14 hours bus trip and as I waited to depart this guy dropped into the seat next to me and practically sat on me. He turned and apologized in an English accent and introduced himself. Little did I know that moment would change the rest of my life. We spent most of the next 14 hours chatting and when the bus trip finished he asked me to come hang with his friends. We booked huts on the beach next to each other that night and the next day while playing Frisbee in the ocean he asked me to go to New Zealand with him and two of his travel mates. I didn't say yes that moment but I spent the next 6 days travelling around with this guy as friends and I couldn't shake the idea of abandoning my plans to go with them and so I said yes. Two weeks after meeting we flew to Auckland and we started dating shortly after that.

After 10 weeks of knowing him and only 5 weeks of that time being together in the same country, I booked a flight to London and moved in with him. I never considered myself a spontaneous person until he came into my life and gave me a reason to be. One year later, we moved from London to Calgary, Canada and we got married in 2008. Our shoot we our 10 year anniversary gift to each other and a celebration of our marriage."